2000 VFR Horn Not Working

Maybe Dark Green isn't grounding properly? Try setting the multimeter to resistance (Ohms) and seeing if attaching Green to Ground gives you a reading.

Procedure:
Turn off the bike and take the key out.
Make sure there is a battery in your multimeter.
Set multimeter to Ohms.
Touch multimeter leads together. Meter should read 0 Ohms. If not, zero the meter with leads touching.
Separate multimeter leads. Meter should read Infinite Ohms.
Attach dark green wire to one multimeter lead.
Attach ground (e.g. exposed frame or other ground lead) to remaining multimeter lead.
Press the horn switch.

If the meter reads Infinite Ohms, then the green wire hasn't grounded.
If the meter reads close to 0 Ohms then the green wire is grounded fine.
If the meter reads somewhere in between infinite and 0 Ohms then there is something generating electrical resistance between the green wire horn plug and the battery negative terminal. Time to worry and do more searching.

(Disclaimer: I'm not an auto electrician, just someone with basic high school electrical skills.)

 

Hey Azi

As you suggested I connected one multimeter lead to the to the ground wire and attached the other lead to a chassis ground. When I pressed the horn button the meter read Infinite Ohms. As per this test I would gather that there is a problem with the green wire grounding, thus the horn is not grounding properly. To test this theory, I left the power lead to the horn (Lg-light green wire) connected and attached an alligator clip lead to the other horn connection and then attached the other end of the alligator clip lead to a ground point on the frame (same as used in the previous test for resistance), turned on the key, and pressed the horn button. VOILA the horn worked.

First the GOOD News. I have discovered that the horn actually works and that the switch is functional so I don't have to purchase either a horn or a switch assembly. YEAH.

Now the BAD News. I have discovered that I have problem with the horn not grounding properly. This means the green wire is not grounding properly and thus I have another issue to resolve.

My last question would be if the green wire is not grounding properly then should I not have a problem with anything else on that circuit not working as well. Everything else on the same fuse appears to be functioning properly. All the front turn signals , the front running lights, headlights, and dash lights all work and so does the side stand switch and they all use the same ground wire according to the wiring diagram. Hmmm, now I am even more confused.

 

don't think that, their is alotta of connecters between that green wire and ground, start tracing it back connecter by connecter, measure at each connecter to ground to you find 0 ohms

 

First I wish to thank all of you guys for your assistance, and to update you on the progress. Took the upper fairing off again today and back probed the grounds and the problem seemed to originate from the handlebar switch cluster. I checked the switch side of the harness and the number showed that there was a issue. When I disconnected and probed the harness side of the connector, the ground was fine. Duuuuuuhhhhhh, WHAT??? I plugged the connector back together and tested again and it was fine. GO FIGURE............ I removed the two pins from the connector blocks and cleaned up the contacts with a bit of emery paper and a stiff wire cleaning brush and re-assembled and VIOLA everything works great. Once again all is well the old girl and my quizical look has again returned to a smile.

Again, thanks to all of those who posted hints, suggestion and other help in general. At least now I should be able to answer a few of my own dumb questions, such as how to use the resistance function of the multi-meter, and how to understand and interpret the results.

 

In the Honda manual, it states that most faults are caused by corroded plugs in the wiring harness. Sounds like you found the corrosion and fixed the issue. Congratulations.

However, the worst thing we can do is wash our equipment and then put it up without riding it and getting it up to temperature to work out the moisture in various places. Not saying you did that in this instance...but I have and I had to learn from experience after having the exact issue you describe.

 

pack with dielectric grease and you will not have issues

 

a saying comes to mind, "ridden hard, and put away wet."

http://support.fluke.com/find-sales/Download/Asset/1260898_6116_ENG_M_W.PDF

DMM are far-out huh :hippie: You may enjoy above ^ link :wink:

 

dude, come and talk to me when you can run a spectrum anayliser

 

and may I ask why input impedence is important on a dmm. I know but just tossing that out

 

Been to Saskatchewan before, nice place. Do you have licence plates on your vee-hickles that are the shape of bears? Drove there from the Yukon.

Don't they give perscriptions for viagra for that?

 

I thought as much

 

This is why when I wash the bike I never set the hose on jet spray and don't use a pressure washer to wash the bike. I generally use one of the softer spray settings on the nozzle so that I don't force water into any areas where the electronics are more vulnerable. The connection for this particular issue was behind the fairing though in an area right up behind the instrument panel where it is very difficult to spray with water (or get water in for that matter). Damn thing is though that I had just had the whole fairing off after replacing a bunch of bulbs (headlight and all dash bulbs) and noticed the problem after I put the bike back together and the bike was dry as a bone at the time. No remnants of moisture were present and I wouldn't say the contacts on the pins were corroded, I just cleaned them up as a preventative measure and there was already a good amount of what I would assume was dielectric grease in the connectors.

Best thing is that the problem is solved and I have learned even more about the use of my multimeter. The spectrum anayliser sounds like it would be a lot more fun though and considerably more complicated. Always up for a challenge though.

If you don't mind my asking rjgti, what exactly do you do for a day job?

 

electronic technologist for 22 years now zoom

 

Cool, next time I have an electronics issue, you will be the first person I send a PM. LOL. With all the electronics on modern day motorcycles and cars you might actually be able to fix or diagnose what is not working. I do Paintless Dent Repair for a living and spend a lot of time taking cars apart and see first hand just how much in the way of electronics is hiding in all kinds of places in modern day vehicles. I had to remove a headlight on a Volvo the other day to repair a dent in a fender and when I put the thing back in it would not work. Had to send the car to the local Volvo dealer to be scanned so that the headlight would be recognized by ECU.

 

np zoom will answer any ? you have. if I have no answer I will find it for you

 

np zoom will answer any ? you have. if I have no answer I will find it for you, tink and squirrel are a great resource as are many others here. this community can answer most of your questions

 

Zoom, an off topic question for you if you don't mind - a few bike repairers tell me they won't touch a dented tank with PDR as "it never works" according to them. Do you have any opinion or experience PDRing dented tanks?